iPad at Work: House of Lords Recommending It be Allowed in the Lords Chamber

iPads may be about to take a seat in UK government, with the House of Lords administration committee recommending that iPads, smartphones and other mobile devices are allowed to be used in the Lords chamber and grand committee.

“We therefore propose that all handheld devices should be permitted in the chamber and grand committee provided they are silent. This would exclude conventional laptops,” the report said.

Lord Lucas told silicon.com that many peers are already using iPads, adding, “I’m waiting for the next generation of the iPad to get mine but I am certainly intending to use it in the chamber.”

I have to say this is not a group of people I would expect to see embracing the iPad – and the details of the recommendation sound a little confused to me. There’s mention of the iPad and other mobile devices being ‘silent’ whereas laptops are not – huh? And also that Lords members would be banned from doing any web research with the devices in the chamber. Good luck enforcing that one – always assuming some of the (cough) more longstanding members actually get to grips with how to use the browser that is.

Anyone else thinking this could lead to some quite comical moments in the House of Lords?